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Friday, February 27, 2015

I am weirdly excited about this weekend, but I don’t know exactly why. Dan works, so I plan to spend most of it hunkered down avoiding the 3-6 inches of snow that are coming our way with a naked two year old, persuading her that the big girl potty is the coolest thing in the world.

Thursday, February 26, 2015

Well, at least 98% thankful. Which is what the lovely ultrasound tech told us was the possibility of the baby being a girl when my (probably) daughter would not move her legs from the one position that hid her gender. I am also thankful the tech was gracious enough to schedule us for another ultrasound, you know, just to be sure.

A few months ago one of my friends told me she thought the baby was a boy, or a very strong willed girl. I shuddered at the thought of a girl more strong willed than Ina. Now I am starting to think it is correct, because although (probably) she wouldn’t move during the ultrasound, she was having a full on dance party from 2:30 to 5 this morning.

I am thankful that Dan made dinner last night while I was working.

Ina has a new obsession with my home office and wants to join me anytime I go there. So many things to see and buttons to press! So, I am forever grateful to Mickey Mouse, who kept my daughter out of my office while Dan couldn’t.

I am thankful for snow.

“Momma, let’s eat the snow, ONE more time!” while holding up her one little pointer finger. We tasted the snow “one more time” about twenty times.

I am thankful for the beginning of spring. I know it snowed last night, and the majority of the days ahead show snow in the forecast, but yesterday I could smell it. As I was walking into work, I could tell spring was near. Also, the past few mornings I have heard birds singing, which is always a promising sign, right?

I am thankful that yesterday’s breakfast tasted better than it looked, which was obviously pretty easy.

I am thankful for Danielle and her allowance of Ina being “bare bottom” while potty training. So, for the second time in this post, I am thankful for dresses.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Yesterday was an exhausting day. There wasn’t one thing that made it that way (until the one thing), just lots of little things that added up.

Ina and I walked in the door from work and did the usual dinner prep/playtime routine with some naked potty training/gummy bear bribery added in the mix. I chop an onion and then help Ina find where a puzzle piece goes. I brown the meat, Ina runs to the bathroom screaming, “GUMMY BEAR!” I cut up the peppers and then barely swoop my arms under Ina’s head in time to prevent it from crashing on the floor.

You know, the usual.

I had just sat down, after taking the stuffed peppers out of the oven and popping the roasted cauliflower in, so thankful for the first night in a while to sit and do nothing when my phone rang. It was Dan.

“Hey do you want to do me a big favor?"

I knew what it was before he said anything, because Ina had found his wallet on the couch and had tried to empty its contents while I was making dinner.

He ran out of gas. He works 45 minutes away. He doesn’t have any money. The gas station attendant refused to take a credit card over the phone.

I had just changed into my pajamas, Ina was mostly naked, and I had just put dinner in the oven. I did not want to get in the car and drive for an hour and a half. I wanted to eat dinner and go to bed.

I was mad. Like, really mad, and the more I drove the more mad I got. I knew that this wasn’t something to get upset about, everyone makes mistakes like this, and to be honest, I am the queen of those types of mistakes. But telling myself that didn’t make me any less mad. Neither did singing songs to Ina -B-I-N-G-O, Five Little Speckled Frogs, and Frozen didn’t help at all. It was almost like I could feel my blood boiling.

But then I pulled into the gas station and saw Dan’s defeated face - he honestly felt horrible for dragging us out of the house.

I started to deflate. The 45 minute drive home plus 20 more rounds of B-I-N-G-O helped me to simmer down and by the time we pulled into the driveway I felt pretty silly for the way I had felt and the things I had said.

We actually really enjoyed our (lukewarm) dinner together and then played with Ina before crawling into bed.

I am writing this because I hope that next time I can extend that kind of grace from the beginning and not waste so much energy being mad. Hopefully.

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

How has the beginning of your week been? I apologize for the lack of post yesterday, but with my sleep being hit and miss this pregnancy, I am choosing to sleep when I can. Don’t you just love the feeling of waking up on your own instead of to an alarm yelling at you?

Yesterday was the first day of my third Daniel Plan Detox. (More information here, but the general idea is: no alcohol, caffeine, diary, sugar, processed foods, or gluten; lots of real foods.)

Ina’s appetite has been all over the place lately, but yesterday, after she has already eaten a piece of toast, a pear, and a cheese stick, when I sat my breakfast plate down, she wandered over to the table and said, "What’s that Mommy?"

She isn’t crazy. When she sees something that is radioactively green, she steers clear.

In the blender I put 1/2 apple, 4 carrots, two huge handfuls of spinach, a good squeeze of lemon juice, a few ice cubes, 1/2 C of water, and a sprinkle of ginger. I admit, not the best tasting thing ever, but I really do feel good after I chug all that nutrition.

I also made some homemade larabars for a snack yesterday, and have been very thankful to have them around.

I am doing this detox because I want to support the members of my new Daniel Plan group who are doing it for the first time. Also because I think it will be good to get a little re-set during this pregnancy. No matter how much I know otherwise, there is a little part of the back of my mind that says, “I’m pregnant! This is an eating free for all!”

Also, the more fresh fruits and veggies this baby can get the better. Really, it is a win-win (-win, if you count Baby Gary too!).

In other news - Ina went from 7 AM to 7 PM naked and without an accident!

However, then I had to leave to go to church and apparently things didn’t fare as well for Dan. I had to really convince him I didn’t set him up to fail.

Sunday, February 22, 2015

Mine has been extra lazy, although I did manage to spend an hour and a half cooking the worst meal I have made in quite some time on Friday, go grocery shopping on Saturday, and last night we met some of our friends for a play date.

Note to self - must buy at least 300 balls.

I feel like I spent the majority of yesterday trying to get Ina to sleep - saying the ABC’s is her new strategy to stay awake.

The past few weeks I have felt like walking up and down the stairs and chasing Ina around the house is a work out all on its own, so I have been kind of lazy in this department. I hope to turn things around this week.

Friday, February 20, 2015

I don’t have much to report except because I spent the majority of yesterday working and driving to meet my in-laws to pick Ina up. I was so excited to see her and do you want to know the first thing she said to me?

“Mom, why did John Smith go to the doctor?"

This was the exact question she asked me in the car on the way to drop her off the day before. We haven’t watched Pocahontas in two weeks, but for some reason she is just now obsessed with the fact that John Smith has to leave to go back home at the end of the movie. She was sad he was leaving, so we told her he had to go home to go to the doctor. Turns out that wasn’t a good enough answer. Just like the day before, I answered, “because he was hurt."

Ina: Why?

Me: Because his people weren’t nice to the Indians and there was a fight. So we shouldn’t get in fights.

Ina: Why?

Me: Because people get hurt.

Ina: Why?

Me: Because they weren’t nice to each other.

Ina: Why?

Me: Because they didn’t agree.

Ina: Why?

Me: Do you want to listen to Frozen songs?

If anyone has an explanation for the behavior of the settlers and Indians that a two year old will accept, please send it my way.

So good! Dan was helping a co-worker study for a test, so Ina and I were solo last night. No Dan = no meat requirement for dinner. This is going to be a great standby recipe for future Dan-less nights.

- I did not do the dishes or pick up the disaster that is Ina’s toy room. On my list for things to do today.

Have a great weekend and I will see you on Sunday with my detox meal plan!

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Today I am thankful for my new Daniel Plan group. They all inspire me with their questions and enthusiasm. I am looking forward to starting the detox on Monday. (Who looks forward to starting a detox?)

I am thankful to my in-laws, who saved my behind yesterday when I got lost trying to meet them and my phone had about 1% battery. I called them in a panic because I had a work meeting in 30 minutes and a 30 minute drive home and Ina was extremely upset yelling, “NO MOM! Don’t let your phone diiieeee!” and I had absolutely zero clue where I was. They calmly told me to tell them the address of where I was and they would meet me there.

Whew, crisis averted and Ina forgot she needed to have a funeral for my phone when she saw her Granny and Papa.

I am thankful to re-discover this salad recipe, which has greatly increased by greens intake. (I used to eat this daily.) I don’t want any vegetable unless it is coated with tahini + vinegar + sriracha + goat cheese. Mmmm….

I am thankful for my work and the way it can both relax and challenge me mentally.

I am thankful for snow. When I don’t have to drive on it, the white landscape makes everything pretty to look at.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

I have a slightly addictive nature to books. When I start reading one, I don’t want to do anything else until I find out what happens.

I mean, anything else, like, for instance, write this blog post, or play with Ina, or look at Dan, or eat anything that requires my focus to be away from the words. Before Ina was born, this was not really a big deal, but now my time is a little more in demand. This is why I haven’t really read much since she arrived, I am almost afraid to.

However, I needed some treadmill entertainment, so I downloaded a light read book, thinking I would only read it while on the treadmill. That lasted for a day before I read a few chapters before bed, and then when I woke up, and then, “Sure, Ina, you can watch Mickey Mouse while I sit next to you…"

It is a very slippery slope.

I love to read, and I don’t think that I necessarily need to give up my hobby completely, just because I am a mom. BUT, I do think I need to be more strict with myself about when I can read.

I just want to know what happens next...

All of that was to explain why I have absolutely nothing to write about today, because all I have been thinking about is the book I am reading.

But, of course, I have a few things:

- SNOW!

[The lack of gloves was not my choice.]

-I walked 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday. The time flew by thanks to my book.

-Dan made us beef stew in the pressure cooker for dinner. (Have I mentioned I love his new work schedule?)

Monday, February 16, 2015

If you want to feel really guilting about spending $8, you should give into your toddler who is begging for a piece of beautifully displayed chocolate cake while waiting for a table at The Cheesecake Factory and buy an $8 piece of cake. (Seriously, $8?) Then, when you get home, try to feed it to your daughter, who takes one look and says, “I don’t like that.” You aren’t going to force her to eat it (because who forces a kid to eat cake?) and you don’t eat gluten (most of the time) so you don’t eat it. Instead, it just sits in your fridge, very pretty and mocking you every time you open the door, saying, “You spent $8 of your blow money on me. Muahahaha."

If you want to want to complain about carelessly spending $8, you should start a budget. (Obviously there are better reasons to start a budget.)

If you want to skip water aerobics in the morning, you should pray for it to snow. We got 3 to 4 inches last night, which was enough for me to roll over in bed and keep on sleeping instead of changing into my swimsuit. It looks like I have a date with the treadmill later on today.

If you want to set your soul free, you should check out my church. Seriously, this weekend’s worship was AMAZING. The energy was palpable. I want to drag every person I know in there for a few of our songs.

If you want to have your daughter eat only candy for lunch, you should take her to my grandparent’s church’s lunch function. In the time it took me to take off my coat, run to the bathroom, and grab us some food, Ina had already collected more candy than most trick-or-treaters. I felt successful getting one bit of meatloaf and a spoonful of corn into her chocolate covered mouth.

If you want to feel like your house is bursting at the seams with love and friendship, you should start a small group. Last night we had the majority of the group there, and it was so, so lovely.

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Ours was fun, in an exhausting sort of way. While Dan was working during the day, Ina and I met our friends Liz and Sadie at Barnes and Noble for story + craft time.

The Barnes and Noble portion went well, but then we had the grand idea to go out for lunch on the plaza (one of KC’s busiest restaurant areas). it wasn’t until I walked into the really crowded doors of Cheesecake Factor that I remembered it was Valentine’s Day. Ina saw the chocolate cake on display and there was no turning back.

Considering all that could have gone wrong, lunch went well, but I know Liz (who is also pregnant) and I breathed a sigh of relief when we had both of the girls strapped back in their carseats and were headed home.

We came home to an epic Ina nap (3 hours!) and I made Dan his favorite meal for Valentine’s Day - chicken pot pie. In bed by 9 - just the way I like it.

We have church this morning and small group this evening and maybe a little trip in between.

Well, we ended up running out of time plus creative energy and made chocolate and sprinkle covered heart rice krispie treats. I think they are delicious, but Ina only was interested in the sprinkles. Once she saw the rice krispie goo on my hands, she was literally scared of the treats.

Oh well, you can’t win them all.

Also, I have re-discovered reading on the treadmill and downloaded Big Little Lies.I will need some other light reading recommendations soon. TIA!

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Sorry for the lack of post yesterday! The sun woke me up the past two mornings, which means I really overslept. I usually don’t set an alarm for myself and wake up on my own around 5, but with Baby Gary tapping into my energy sources, I might start sleeping until noon.

The rest of the post will be in bullet format because I have negative time to write it.

-I walked two miles on the treadmill. I will maintain that walking (fastish) on the treadmill makes me more sore than jogging. Anyone else?

-Yesterday was a “rest day,” but Danielle was sick so Ina stayed home with me and I carried her up and down the stairs at least 20 times and chased her around the house, all while taking meetings and working, so by the time Dan walked in the door I was beat.

We take pictures to send to Dan while he is working. Yesterday she told me, “I love you Mom. But, I love Dad best.” Ha!

-We started our next Daniel Plan study at church on Monday night! I am really pumped about this new group and can’t wait to see the changes this study makes in their lives. I plan to join them in the detox in a few weeks (which is fine while pregnant), so expect a post about my thoughts "on the plan" a year later.

-We find out Baby Gary’s gender in two weeks, so until then I am rounding up all the supplies that have dispersed their way around the house. Ina found my pump, took all the pieces out, and said, “Momma, I am going to build you a tower."

And then she started breathing through the pieces like her nebulizer. I hope she forgets that experience when she finds out its intended use.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Dan and Ina slept in yesterday, which meant I had the luxury of cooking myself an omelet. Unforunately, I didn’t have the luxury of eating it. As soon as the first bite hit my lips I heard, “Mooommm!” I grabbed the plate to climb the stairs and Ina took one look and said, “Mmmm, that looks yummy!"

What’s mine is your’s kid.

The rest of the day went by extremely fast - church, grocery shopping nap time, then getting the house ready for small group. Ina received a Valentine’s Day present that included an apron and a Valentine’s Day cookie baking kit. I mixed, rolled, and baked the sugar cookies during her nap and bribed her to pick up all her toys with the reward of cookie decorating.

As she was decorating the cookies, I tried to explain to her that we were making Valentine’s Day cookies and Valentine’s Day is meant to celebrate love and friendship. I then asked her if there was anyone she could think of that she loved that we should give the cookies to.

Without hesitation, she yelled, “ME!” and grabbed a cookie and shoved it in her mouth.

Even though her reaction was somewhat selfish, she was happy to see everyone at small group enjoy her treats, so maybe she understood the point through example instead of explanation?

Sunday, February 8, 2015

Unlike our previous few weekends of rest, this weekend has been pretty busy. Of course, my phone was dead most of the time, so I had to take lots of mental pictures.

The weather was absolutely beautiful yesterday and we were really able to enjoy it. First with a little run with my sister, then at the park with the kids, and lastly, Dan grilled us steak! After NOT taking a nap, we went out to eat for my mom’s birthday, which was interesting. I don’t wish a nap-less toddler at a crowded restaurant with an hour wait on even my worst enemy.

Dan works most of this week, so we are keeping things simple around here. Hopefully the weather will be nice enough to enjoy again today.

Friday, February 6, 2015

Doing anything fun this weekend? Dan has the weekend off work, so we plan to enjoy some family time.

Before I get into the pregnancy talk, I have to tell you about our trip to the library last night. Ina did pretty well while we were looking at the books and playing with the puzzles and kept her voice down and shelf banging to a minimum. Then, I had the genius idea of letting her hold the library card while we waited to check out. She stood right next to me while the people in front of us were arguing over a late fee, but when it was our turn to check out and the librarian asked for the card, Ina wanted to walk behind the counter to hand it to her.

The librarian thought this was cute, so I allowed it. As soon as she scanned our card she was telling me about the $35 in late fees we have (completely my fault) when the woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to Ina, who was climbing in the return bins behind the counter. I went back there to get her and decided to take a picture, because these moments need to be captured.

Then I heard a very upset, “CAN I HELP YOU??” I turned to see a different librarian, who did not think that Ina was cute. She also did not think that me taking pictures of Ina misbehaving was cute. I am really glad she didn’t know that I have a $35 bill.

I rarely make people upset, at least that I know about, so of course I felt like I was back in Kindergarten and getting yelled at by the librarian. Ina and I walked out the door with our tails between our legs and 15 new library books, which we will be returning on time, if not early.

Now onto the pregnancy update.

Yesterday, as I was staring at my closet, willing something that would look nice to jump out at me, I gave up and grabbed the pile of maternity clothes from the top shelf. With Ina’s pregnancy, I waited until I was 19 weeks to wear maternity clothes and regretted it because they felt so nice. Here I am in the same outfit 4 days before Ina was born.

I feel like those bellies are almost the same size with a 20 week difference?! Yikes!

In general, I feel great. I am sleeping well thanks to my “Handy-Came” (aka Snoogle). My energy is back, but I still want to go to sleep at 8-ish every night.

I thought I felt the baby move pretty early in my pregnancy, but I am not sure, because the last few weeks I did’t feel a thing. My mid-wife told me that the placenta is between my baby and my belly, which might be why. However, Baby Gary must have loved the freedom of maternity clothes, because he/she was moving and shaking all day long yesterday. Feeling the baby move makes me “feel” like I am pregnant so much more and I love it. (I felt Ina move at 18ish weeks, so this is right on.)

I have been trying to stay active, clocking in 4 workouts per week - usually 1-2 swims, 1-2 walk/runs, and then some type of strength or stretching. However, little things are starting to make me tired. Yesterday I carried Ina up the stairs and had to sit down on the bed once we got to the top because I was dizzy and out of breath. Maybe I should do that 10 times a day and call it a work-out.

My eating has been decent, much better than Ina’s pregnancy. I don’t have any weird cravings, just the normal ice cream after dinner, which is more me than the baby. But, I have been struggling with staying hydrated. I am drinking a lot of water during the day, but at home I don’t feel like drinking anything. I can tell I am not hydrated enough because my skin is super dry and when I do start drinking water I feel like I have to chug it. Hopefully this will be better once the warmer weather moves in.

Speaking of warmer weather, we are looking forward to 70 degrees on Saturday! Hopefully we will get a chance to enjoy that sunshine!

Thursday, February 5, 2015

I feel like there were only seconds between when I fell asleep last night at 9:30 to when Dan’s alarm went off this morning. I slept like a rock and feel so good today! This is good, because both the dog and Ina were up and at ‘em an hour earlier than usual.

I am thankful for my pajama drawer, which has continued to provide clothes that cover my growing belly. Yesterday I worked from home, wore pajamas until the afternoon, when I took a shower and changed into, you guessed it, a different set of pajamas.

I am thankful for a bag of farm fresh hardboiled eggs in my fridge. Instant protein for breakfast.

This hb egg, mayo, and tomato breakfast has been a recent craving. Of course it takes 1000x better with fresh garden tomatoes, but it was still pretty darn good.

I am thankful that our federal, Kansas, and Missouri e-files were accepted yesterday! And to my aunt for helping me with a few questions. I used TurboTax for the first time in years, and it was easier than I thought. I think that as long as you collect the right information throughout the year, doing your own taxes is relatively easy, even if you run two “small businesses."

On a related note, and this deserves its own paragraph, I am super thankful for our upcoming tax return. A few weeks ago, I did some calculations and discovered there is a small chance that we could be (non-mortgage) debt free before this baby comes in July. Our return will more than help to set us on track for that dream, which may actually be a reality.

I am thankful that everyone in our house has been healthy his week. It has been quite a while since I could say that.

I am thankful for our church’s new sermon series around marriage and relationships. If you live in KC, you should check it out!

This is notable because many things had to happen to make it possible:

Ina was begging to go outside when we got home

I forgot my second shoe and couldn’t use the treadmill at work (winning)

The temperature was above 40 degrees

Dan made dinner, so I had some extra free time

I didn’t have a headache when I walked in the door, which is an exception to the past few evenings

Dan’s step-dad brought home Blue Bell and I told myself I couldn’t have any unless I moved my body in some way

We walked the first mile and walked/ran the second. Whew, I forgot how hard pushing that jogging stroller while running is. Each time I started to pick up the pace Ina would yell, “Mamma, be careful!"

Something else to note from yesterday - while we were finishing up dinner my dad called and asked if he could stop by the house for a few minutes. This was odd because he doesn’t stop by all that often for no reason, and when he does he doesn’t call to say that he is coming. Of course, I immediately assumed something bad had happened and started to freak out. In the 5 minutes it took for him to get over to our house I had worked myself into a nervous mess.

However, all my worrying was over nothing, because he walked in the door, grabbed Ina, and told her he had something to show her outside. He wrapped her up in his coat and stood on the front porch to show her the full moon.

This was particularly special because my dad and I used to look at the moon together when I was Ina’s age and slightly older. Such a sweet memory.

Of course, since Papa Scott was there, we had to show off Ina’s Alpha-gator skills.

Unfortunately, the opposite was true. As Ina became mobile, she required even more of my attention. My lack of attention led to our dogs acting out, escaping the yard every possible chance they got, barking and howling when I had just put Ina down for a nap, digging into the dirty diaper trash, and going to the bathroom in the house often. I would get frustrated with them and the cycle would continue.

When I became pregnant again one of my first thoughts was that having a toddler, a newborn, and two dogs was going to be impossible. I know there are so many families that make it work for them. Maybe it is us, or maybe it is our dogs, but it didn’t work for us. t started thinking about our options, but didn’t really pursue anything.

However, an option pursued us.

One day, the dogs got out of our yard and found themselves over a mile away from home at a very nice woman’s house. This woman fell in love with Lily, our girl dog, and told the animal control officer that she would love to keep her if it was an option. The officer mentioned this to me, and I saw our opportunity to help our situation and immediately discussed it with Dan. Making that decision and sticking to it was much harder than I thought it would be. We knew we didn’t like how things were going, but changing it seemed so sad.

It was particularly sad because Lilly is a great dog. If we had only her, I am fairly certain that our dog troubles would be minimal. Her only problem is that she loves a lot of attention. She wants a companion around her all the time, which is so sweet, and I had hoped that Ina would be that companion for her. However, Lilly was always more interested in me than Ina, and my attention is in short supply.

Dan and I agreed that giving Lilly away to someone who had the time and desire to truly pay attention to her would be best for us and best for her.

The woman called me a few days later and picked Lilly up that evening. Although we knew we were making the best decision for our family and for Lilly, Dan and I cried when they drove away.

That was three weeks ago, and we have adjusted well.

I finally stopped sticking my head out the back door and yelling for her to come inside.

Ina stopped sitting up in bed in the middle of the night asking me where Lilly was.

Aumlette, our 10 year old male beagle, actually behaves better as a solo dog. He has always been independent and doesn’t seem the least bit concerned about Lilly’s whereabouts.

We plan to visit Lilly soon, but want to make sure both she and Ina make the adjustment well before causing any confusion.

A few years ago I would have never believed a future-me would have made this decision. However, a lot of things change when you have kids. This is one of those things.

Monday, February 2, 2015

-I was really, really excited when I discovered that I could download all of my transactions from the month of January from my credit card and bank accounts into an Excel spreadsheet. I am in sort, filter, and formula heaven.

-Dan just started his new 12 hour shift schedule, and this was his first weekend. I set the alarm, like usual, but we overslept because my alarm was set to weekdays only. Thankfully Dan woke up on his own at 5:08 am, so he was only 15ish minutes late for work. Whew.

-I ate two of these cookies for breakfast on Saturday morning. Gluten free or not, those cookies are amazing and you should make them as soon as you find someone to share them with.

-I ate the cookies while driving in my PJ’s to Wal-Mart to buy Dan two bags of Fritos to take to his work, because he volunteered to take them, but then overslept my alarm. There are some interesting sights at WalMart at 6 am. I am sure me in my PJs holding two bags of chips was one of them.

-I returned library books on Saturday that we had checked out since before Thanksgiving. Ina is really going to wonder where those went.

-I became dehydrated from dinosaur crying while watching the series finale of Parenthood. I am so sad it is over, but I am so happy that I watched it.